Vidor ISD updates policies after indictment of former student

Published 8:45 am, Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Vidor school district administrators have updated technology policies on campus after an incident last year led to the indictment of a former student.

Last week, 19-year-old Michael Anthony Uzzell was indicted by the Orange County Grand Jury on charges of improper photography or visual recording. No court date has been set.

The charge stems from an incident last November when the Vidor High School principal learned that an inappropriate photo had been taken at the school and circulated on social media sites. An investigation began, and a student withdrew from school, Superintendent Joe Burns said. The completed investigation went to the Orange County District Attorney's Office for further action.

A charge of improper photography does not necessarily mean the photos were sexual in nature, District Attorney John Kimbrough said. Instead, it means the photo was taken without the person's consent and the intent was to invade their privacy. The state jail felony carries a punishment of two to five years' probation or six months to two years in jail.

Since the incident, Burns said the school district has enforced a ban on cellphones at school. If a student is caught with one, the phone is seized and held until a parent pays a fee to the district. Additional violations can put the student in In-School Suspension or at the alternative campus, Burns said.

Coaches and other group sponsors have been reminded to "monitor students so cellphones are not used in dressing rooms, showers, etc.," Burns said.